Vapor burner and igniter



1N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. A. HOUSE.

VAPOR BURNER AND IGNITER.

No. 559,895. Patented May 12, 1896.

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(N0 Medal.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. A. HOUSE. VAPOR BURNER AND IGNITER.

Patented May 12, 1896.

Hill

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFlCEi HENRY A. HOUSE, OF BRlDGEPOR-T, CONNECTICUT.

VAPOR BURNER AND IGNlTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,895, dated May 12, 1896.

Application filed September 5, 1895. Serial No. 561,580. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. llOUsE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor Burners and Igniters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in vapor-burners; and it consists substantially in such features of construction, arrangement, and combinations of parts as will hereinafter be more particularly described.

The invention has reference more particularl y to that class of vapor-bu rnin g apparatus in which a liquid fuel is vaporized in a retort communicating with the burner; and the ob jcct of the invention is the more perfect admixture of the air and vapor for the prod uction of a richer and better flame.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means whereby as the pressure changes from low to high the point of ignition or focal point of the flame is altered with respect to the retort or generator and the escape of the vapor permitted to take place in greater volume and at a much greater velocity.

A further object of the invention is to provide greater facility for cleaning the burner and valves as they become obstructed from deposits of residue from the oils, as well also as to increase the ccrtaintyof ignition of the b urn or under all circumstances or conditions.

Further objects of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional elevation of a vapor-burner constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention. Fig. 3 is a side view of the burner proper, representing the same as it appears exteriorly. Fig. 3 is a crosssectional view on the line a; of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a top or plan view of the burner proper.

My invent-ion is capable of a great many different embodiments, but preferably I resort to the construction and arrangement of parts substantially such as l have herein illus trated.

A represents a retort-generator of any suitable construction, but preferably provided with a continuous channel. (1, extending throughout the interior of the same, and the said retort or generator being constructed of any suitable refractory material capable cl withstanding a considerable amount of heat. The said retort or generator A is provided with a central opening I), for a purpose to be hereinafter described, and at on eside an open ing 0 is provided for the entrance or insertion of the end of the liquid-fuel-supply pipe B, while at the opposite or some other part of said retort or generator a similar opening e is provided for the entrance or insertion of the upper end of the pipe C, which extends downward and conveys or supplies the burner with vapor from the said retort or generator.

Before beginning to describe the construction and arrangement of the parts of my improved burner proper I desire to state that one of the principal advantages of the construction thereof is that I am enabled to burn crude petroleum as well as heavy residual oils which are not ordinarily capable of being burned because of the great number of thick oil globules present therein, and which do not readily vaporize under ordinary conditions as have heretofore existed.

A in rther advantage of my improved burner is that I am enabled to change the intensity of the flame against the retort, and whenever there is any tendency to a cooling down, such as is apt to occur with increased pressure or velocity of the vapor, the operation is such as to permit of the escape of the vapor in increased volume and thereby counteract such tendency.

Myim proved burner is capable of being constructed in a great many different ways; but preferablyl employ the construction such as I have herein shown.

D represents the chamber of the burner, in the side of which at f is provided an opcnin g for receiving the lower end of the pipe 0, which leads from the retort or generator and which conveys the vapor to the burner. The top of the said chamber D is formed with an opening or port g, preferably slightly conical in form, while projecting upward from the base it of said chamber is a hollow post 1 in which is held or supported a vertical rod or stemj, which extends upward to a suitable height and which, as will be observed, is formed in its sides with several longitudinal grooves 70, which begin at about the point I and extend along the rod or stem for the rest of its length.

E represents a hollow cone, open at both top and bottom and formed or provided centrally with a sleeve F,whieh fits and works upon the rod or stem j, and which sleeve terminates at its lower end in a valve m, corresponding in shape to the opening orport g in the top of the chamber D of the burner, while at the upper end of said sleeve F an opening or port 71 is provided for the passage or escape of the vaporized liquid fuel in the manner hereinafter described. The said central sleeve is of course provided with a longitudinal opening by which to enable the sleeve to fit and move upon the rod or stem j, and the said sleeve is united with the walls of the cone E by means of a suitable number of internal radial ribs or win gs n ,which may comprise an integral part. These said ribs or win-gs n are separated by spaces which permit of the escape or passage of the vapor upward through the cone, as will hereinafter be described, and from the construction explained it will be seen that the said cone is capable of vertical movement upon the rod or stem. The said central sleeve F preferably extends above the top of the cone E when the latter is in its downward or lowermost position, and fitting upon the same and having an independent movement with respect thereto is a weighted supplemental,

sleeve '0, which terminates at its upper end or portion in a number of vertically-disposed ribs p, which are separated by spaces q,while pendent within said upper portion. of the said weighted supplemental sleeve is a valve 7,

which, when the sleeve is lowered upon the:

upper end of the central hollow sleeve F, serves to completely close the port n in the upper end of the latter. It is obvious'that when the combined cone E and sleeve F are in their downward or lowermost positions no vapor can escape through the port g in the top of the chamber I) of the burner, and it is likewise apparent that when the weighted supplemental sleeve 0 is lowered'upon the upper end of the said sleeve F the valve 1 will also prevent the escape of any vapor through the port at in the top of said sleeve F. Normally the valves m and 7* close their respective ports, and they are separately. caused to be lifted by the pressure of the vapor, as will be hereinafter explained. ported in any suitable man ner above the cone E, but preferably by means of rods or posts 8,

Sup-

veniently rest upon the upper edge of the cone E in such manner as to be lifted by the latter in any upward movement thereof caused by the increased pressure or velocity of the vapor fluid passing through the burner. The purpose of the said supplemental cone in addition to aiding in the production of induced air-currents is to increase the resistance in proportion to the increased volume or pressure of the vapor fluid. The*port n in the top of the sleeve F, together with the valve 0'', comprise what I call a primer or low-pressure burner, while the port 9 in the chamber D, together with the valve m, operating in conjunction therewith, constitute what I 'term a main or high-pressure burner, the two burners being so combined that when the valve'of the main port is closed and the vapor is passing from the retort to the said chamberD at about a pressure, say, of five pounds to the square inch the valve of the said primer-burner will be elevated against the resistance of the weight of the supplemental sleeve 0 sufficiently to permit the escape of the vapor through the said port n in quite a small flame, but yet at the proper degree of pressure or velocity. As long as the vapor maintains this low degree of pressure the said primer-burner will be constantly supplied by passage of the vapor through the sleeve F along the grooves of the stem It, and in practice it has been found that the flame thus produced is sufliciently great to maintain aconst'ant vaporization of the liquid fuel in the retort or chamber A. It is evident that while the flame is burning induced currents of air are produced which follow the directions indicated by the arrows and the admixture of the vapor and air is such that the results attained are most perfect. As more oil is introduced to the generator or wheneverthe pressure is increased from any cause, with a tendency to a cooling of the burner on account of imperfect vaporization due to the increase of volume, then the valve m is lifted and the focal point or point of ignition of the flame takes place, or is changed from the primer-burner to the port 9 of the main burner, which allows the increased Volume to escape through the port 1 at a much greater velocity say about ten pounds to the square inchwhile at the same time the said focal point or point of ignition of the flame is somewhat lower down with respect to the retort or generator. In this way I allow for the escape of the increased volume which cannot escape through the port of the primer-burner fast enough to be burned against the surface of the generator or retort with the desired efiect, and at the same time I counteract the tendency of any cooling down of the said retort or generator which any increase of supply of oil thereto would be apt to cause. As the valve on is lifted together with the cone E, it is evident that the port of the primer-burner is thereby closed, and then whenever the pressure of the vapor ICS ITO

in the burner has again become reduced to substantially its original pressure the said valve at will be lowered by the weight which it carries, and as long as the pressure continues at about, say, four pounds to the square inch the said primer-burner will continue to burn in the manner heretofore explained. It is evident that when the pressure increases and the valve of the main port g is raised the said supplemental cone G will also be lifted from its supports by the rising of the cone E, and the resistance will always be in proper proportion to the supply or volume of vapor. Thus it will be seen that my improved burner proper comprises a primer or low-pressure burner, or a port for the vapor under low pressure, controlled by a valve, as well as a main or high-pressure burner or port also controlled by a valve, the valve in each instance being weighted in such manner as to be lifted the one when the pressure and velocity attain a certain degree, and the other when such velocity and pressure have attained a certain higher point or degree.

From the construction and operation explained I am enabled to maintain the action of the burner equally well under a very considerable variation in horse-power, and the certainty of action is greatly increased as compared with other devices of a similar nature. It will be observed that the upper or supplemental cone G is readily detached from the lower cone, and also that when the valve of the primer-burner is removed the lower cone E, as well as the central sleeve thereof, is readily lifted from position. In this way increased faeility is had for cleaning the valves and other parts as they become obstructed from accumulations of oil residue. The sev oral parts of my improved burner are of course intended to be of refractory material, by which to absorb and retain a considerable amount of heat, and it is evident that the same is not liable to easy fracture and that it can be manufactured at comparatively small cost. The parts can be readily cleaned without detaehin g any of the pipes, and it will be understood that various changes and modifications in the general construction and arrangements could be resorted to.

In order to readily ignite the burner at any time after the flame may have been extinguished, as well as to constantly maintain the said burner in. an ignited or lighted condition whatever may be the variation in the fluid supply, I provide a special form of igniting device which while capable of a great many different embodiments is preferably of the form shown in Fig. 1, wherein J represents achamher or receptacle of suitable form and dimensions, the same being preferably slightly contracted at K, and then terminating downwardly in an extended cone L, which fits within the central opening I) of the retort or generator A, and which is preferably coincident with a central vertical line drawn through the burner, the lower end whereof being in sufficiently close proximity to the burner or upper supplemental cone thereof to constantly relight the burner at such time when it may be desirous of restarting the same or whenever from any accidental cause the burner may have become extinguished. The said contracted portion K of my improved igniter device rests upon the upper surface of the retort or generator at u, and the chamber J is provided with a number or series of transverse grate-bars '1), upon which is sup ported a crushed or broken mass of refractory material, such as fire-brick and asbestos fiber, a quantity of which is placed within the chamber J through a suitable opening M at the top thereof, which is closed by a cap or plug N. The cone L is of course hollow, and in the sides thereof I provide at suitable points or intervals a number of perforations or openings 10, while in the sides of the contracted portion K of the said iguiter device, as well as in the top of the chamber J, I provide similar openings 10 and m, respectively. The lower end of the hollow conical tube L by extending down through the retort to a point near the escape of vapor from the burner will allow considerable of the flame to pass up into and through the loose mass of refractory material in the chamber J, which mass b e-' comes exceedingly hot and is raised to an incandescent heat, and by virtue of being inclosed within the chamber in the manner described the said mass of refractory material retains its heat for a very long time after the burner has been extinguished. The flame from the burner passes into the mass of re fractory material both through the mouth of the conical tube L as well as the perforations w thereof, and the openings or perforations w and '20 also permit of the entrance of flame and heat to such mass. In this way the burner may be extinguished at any time either by cutting off the supply of vapor to the burner by use of suitable valves or by any other suitable way, and it may be allowed to so remain for quite a considerable length of time, and as the vapor is again allowed to be conducted to the burner a sort of circulation will be produced above the burner by the heat of the refractory mass, and the tendency of the vapor will be to flow upward through the conical. tube into and through the refractory material, whereby the said vapor is superheated and caused to be ignited by contact with the hot surroundin gs and an explosion takes place in a downward direction toward the point of escape of the vapor from the burner an d the latter becomes lighted or ignited in an obvious manner. This is the operation and effect of my improved i gniter device, even though there may be a strong draft in an upward direction, and it has been found in practice that the same operation takes place under varying circumstances and conditions. As a means of protecting the pipes B and G from intense heat at points adjacent to where they enter the generator I prefer to provide the latter with depending deflecting portions :0 a, which, however, form no part of my present invention.

My invention will be thoroughly understood without further description, it is thought, and, as before stated, I do not limit.

myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement of the several parts, since various different embodiments could be resorted to and still be within the scope intended to be embraced.

That I claim is- 1. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising a low-pressure port and valve and a highpressure port and valve, substantially as described.

2. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising alow-pressure port and a weighted valve and a high-pressure port and a weighted valve, substantially as described.

3. In a vaporburner, aburner comprising a low-pressure port and weighted valve, and a high-pressure port and weighted valve, and an additional weight adapted to be lifted as the valve of said high-pressure port is lifted, substantially as described.

i. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising a low-pressure port and weighted valve, a high-pressure portand weighted valve located beneath said low pressure port and valve, and a hollow cone supported above and adapted to be lifted by said high-pressure valve, substantially as described.

5. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising a low-pressure port and valve,'a high-pressure port and valve, a hollow cone adapted to be lifted by said liiglrpressure valve, and an elevated or superposed hollow cone adapted to be lifted by the first-named cone, substantially as and in the manner described.

U. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising a low-pressure port and valve, a high-pressure port and valve, the two ports being in communication with each other, and suitable weights for each of said valves, substantially as described.

7. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising a low-pressure port and weighted valve, a high-pressure port and weighted valve, the two ports being in communication with each other, a hollow cone carried by said high-pressure valve, and an additional superposed cone adapted to be lifted by the first, substantially as shown and in the manner described.

S. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising the chamber D having enlarged or high-pressure port, and the longitudinally-grooved rod or stem extending upwardly through said port to a suitableheight, a sleeve movable on said stem or red having in its upper end a low-pressure port and terminating at its lower end with a valve adapted to the high-pressure port, the cone E carried by said sleeve, the supplemental weighted sleeve and the low-pressure valve carried by said latter sleeve, the whole operating substantially as shown and described.

9. In a vapor-burner of the character described the combination of the low and high pressure ports and their weighted valves, and the enlarged superposed hollow cone held by independent supports and adapted to be lifted, substantially as shown and for the purpose described.

10. In a vapor-burnin g apparatus, the combination with a suitable retort-generator having a central opening, and a suitable burner arranged beneath the same, of an igniter comprising a chamber filled with refractory material and having a tubular portion projecting through said opening in proximity to the burner, substantially as shown and for the purpose described.

11. In vapor-burning apparatus, the combination with a suitable retort having a central opening, and a burner arranged beneath said opening, of an igniter comprising a chamber filled with refractory material and having a perforated tubular portion projecting through said opening in proximity to the burner, substantially as described.

12. In vapor-burning apparatus, the combination of a retort and burner, of an igniter comprising a chamber having a grate and filled with a refractory material or mass, the said igniter being perforated at different points and having a conical perforated tub ularportion extending below the retort in prorc imity to the burner, substantially as described.

13. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising a low-pressure port and valve, and a highpressure port and valve, in combination with an igniter device arranged in proximity to said burner, substantially as described.

14:. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising a low-pressureport and weighted valve, and a high-pressure port and weighted valve, in combination with an igniter device arranged in proximity to said burner, substantially as described.

15. In a vapor-burner, a burner comprising a low-pressure port and valve, and a highpressure port and valve, in combination with a retort or generator, and an igniter device heated by said burner and arranged in proximity thereto, substantially as described.

16. In a vapor-burner, an igniter device comprising the chamber J having the contracted portion K, and terminating downwardly in a conical perforated tubular portion, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J HENRY A. HOUSE. IVitnesses:

DAVID B. LocKwooD, ALFRED BEERS, Jr. 

